2021 NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Cardinals lay smack down on Rams to jump into top spot

The 2021 NFL season moves into Week 5 and The Phinsider Power Rankings follow right behind. Last week, we saw the Los Angeles Rams move into the top spot after defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This week, we saw the Arizona Cardinals beat the Rams in convincing fashion, causing another shake up at the top of the power rankings.

Of course, this site is primarily a Miami Dolphins fan site, so we will take a closer look at their positioning. And, as you can probably guess, it is not pretty. After starting the year 14th, the continue to plummet down the rankings. It has not been a good start to the season in South Florida, and they have to right the ship soon before the entire year slips away.

By now, you probably know how our power rankings work here on The Phinsider, but in case you do not, here’s a short breakdown. Instead of the standard list of all 32 teams from last week being used to start this week’s rankings, then moving a team that won up a couple of spots and a team that lost down a couple of spots, Kevin Nogle and Josh Houtz conduct a draft. The question to be answered is, “Which team will win the Super Bowl?” From there, they alternate selections until all 32 teams are slotted. It sometimes leads to giant jumps or falls, especially early in the season, but it also can keep a team in place despite maybe one bad showing.

Last week, Nogle was not available, so Houtz knocked out the rankings on his own. This week, we are back to the normal alternating picks, with Nogle selecting first.

The Phinsider 2021 NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

1. Arizona Cardinals (Change: +4)
2. Los Angeles Rams (-1)
3. Buffalo Bills (+3)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2)
5. Green Bay Packers (-2)
6. Baltimore Ravens (+1)
7. Cleveland Browns (+2)
8. Los Angeles Chargers (+3)
9. Dallas Cowboys (+1)
10. Kansas City Chiefs (-6)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (-3)
12. Seattle Seahawks (+1)
13. Minnesota Vikings (+6)
14. Carolina Panthers (—)
15. San Francisco 49ers (—)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (+2)
17. Denver Broncos (—)
18. New Orleans Saints (-2)
19. Tennessee Titans (-7)
20. Washington Football Team (+3)
21. New England Patriots (—)
22. Chicago Bears (+3)
23. Philadelphia Eagles (+1)
24. Miami Dolphins (-4)
25. Indianapolis Colts (+2)
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4)
27. Detroit Lions (+2)
28. New York Giants (—)
29. New York Jets (+3)
30. Atlanta Falcons (-4)
31. Houston Texans (-1)
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (-1)